Rebecca Grace

AFA Journal staff writer

November-December 2007 – Nearing the age of 70, Roberta Simpson embarked on what has become one of the greatest adventures of her life – writing.

Simpson had a heart full of stories to share with the young and the young at heart, so she put together Nana’s Bible Stories, a collection of stories based on Biblical accounts. She calls them “stories within Bible stories” because she takes a colorful and creative approach to sharing the accounts by adding fictional characters, settings, storylines and perspectives that are especially appealing to children.

Sometimes a story is told from a child’s point of view and another time it may be told through the eyes of an animal.

“I feel that when kids read these stories they put themselves in the [place of the characters] … and say, ‘I can be like that,’” Simpson told AFA Journal. “The little boy who gave Jesus the loaves and the fish, he has a name.”

Although Scripture doesn’t mention his name, Simpson gives him a name on the pages of her book so that he comes to life for readers.

“I pray that through Nana’s Bible Stories children will see and grow to love the ‘real’ Jesus, who came and dwelt among men, and who loved all children with extreme passion,” Simpson wrote in the introduction to her book.

Her challenge
Writing a book was not Simpson’s idea. She was perfectly content with being a storyteller.

As a young girl, Simpson’s favorite hobby was reading. When she grew older, she began making up her own stories that she eventually told to her children. Simpson became a “Nana” years later and continued her storytelling.

A friend challenged Simpson to have her stories published. Simpson didn’t think much of the idea because she didn’t want to risk being rejected by publishers. But as she was driving that day, the Lord told her, “You can now write.”

Simpson couldn’t wait to get home and start writing, which is what she did.

“It was just as much of a surprise to me as to anybody else,” Simpson said. “And I love doing it. …”

Her family
Simpson is not the first in her family to become a writer or an inspiration to others. Her grandmother, the late Ranee of Sarawak, was an author and an artist.

“She had the most amazing talent,” Simpson said of her grandmother, who was also the inspiration for J.M. Barrie’s Wendy character in the classic tale Peter Pan.

Although her grandmother wasn’t her motivation for becoming a writer, Simpson considers family to be of great value. Simpson and Kyffin, her husband, of almost 41 years, have three children and nine grandchildren. She considers them gifts from God.

“The Bible talks so much about your children and your children’s children, and I just love that,” she said.

Her faith
Simpson’s love of the Bible is a direct result of her faith in God. She comes from a Jewish background and will never forget the traumatic days of World War II when she and her brother were sent away from their family in London.

Simpson doesn’t remember ever going to a synagogue, a church or any place of faith. “But I just had this strong faith in God,” she said.

The first time she prayed was during the war when a V-2 rocket was over her house. She prayed that the rocket would not land on the house. It landed in the woods at the bottom of the family’s garden. The Lord protected her that day.

She was introduced to Jesus at a convent school when she was seven years old. She heard the Easter story told and saw the evidence of Christ in the life of one of her classmates, but it wasn’t until years later that she came to know Him personally.

As an adult, Simpson said, “I saw Jesus like He was. He was as real to me as you are now, and I knew then He was the One that I needed in my life.”

The Lord began bringing people into Simpson’s life who ministered to her. In turn, she and her husband minister to others in a number of different ways. One way is by opening their home in Barbados to guests. They used to host a Bible study in their home on Friday nights and about 130 kids would attend. They also volunteer time and money to various charities, and some of the royalties from the book will go to children’s charities.

But most recently, Simpson has been devoting time to her new role as the Mother Goose of Bible Stories, as she seeks to make a difference in the lives of children everywhere.